Page 1 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 1

The EPIB Trail Eco Fact: A female pillow octopus is 40,000 times heavier than a male pillow octopus.

World’s Loneliest Whale (2-3)

Death of a Giant (4)

Bees: Colony Collapse (5)

Air-Breathing Fish (6)

The Royal Parks (7)

Bias In Recycling (8)

GMO Labels (9)

Farmer Against Hunger (10)

Oatmeal Cookies & Rationing (11)

Wonderful World of Flavors (12)

Climate Fiction (13)

Horseshoe Crab Blood (14)

Streams to Portable H2O (15)

Earthships-Green Living (16-17)

Fox Domestication (18-19)

Star Struck by Astronomy? (20-21)

CNN Hero of The Month & Dr.

Clark’s Strange Tails (22)

Trail Mix (23)

It can be difficult for students, and faculty alike, to stay focused when November rolls

around. We’ve passed the half-way point, and winter break is starting to seem less and less like a

dream of the distant future. To stay focused here at the Trail, with Thanksgiving approaching,

we’ve all been thinking about some of the things we’re thankful for. From the discovery of new

species to amazing “green” building techniques, our world and the people in it never cease to

amaze us. As we give thanks this year for the wonderful people and possessions in our lives, we

can’t forget to thank our planet as well. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Trail as much as

you’re going to enjoy that second (or maybe third) helping of stuffing and mashed potatoes!

Page 1 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Arcadia

Chloe’

Daniel

Evangelina

Francesca

Holly

Katie

Rachel

Rebecca

Renee

Ryan

Selen

Simon

Tami

Wendy

Will

Advisors:

Kristen Goodrich & Dr. Clark

e.e Cummings

Page 2 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

“52 Hertz”: The World’s Loneliest Whale

By Chloe’ Lewis

Approximately, seventy percent of planet earth

is covered in water. Scientists have estimated there are

230,000 known animal species living in the ocean to-

day. Of all the many diverse sea life in the oceans of

the world, there is one animal, one species, one single

solitary soul that surfs the waves, breaches the surface,

and dives through the deepest and darkest depths…

completely and utterly alone. This animal has inspired

poetry, books, and music around the world. The specif-

ics of this whale remain unknown. It is simply called

“52 Hertz”. No one knows what species it is. No one

knows where it derives. No one knows what it looks

like. But this one whale has set the curious souls of the

scientific community on fire.

The whale song anomaly was first discovered

by the U.S Navy in 1989. Since then, researchers have

been tracking his whereabouts. NOAA (the national

weather service) has been conducting research in track-

ing the unique whale song of 52 Hertz for a few dec-

ades now. Researchers know very little about this pecu-

liar animal. The little that is known about it is enough

to set NOAA and other research organizations on a

wild “whale”-chase overseas. Scientists were able to

establish a few things over the course of the decades

dedicated to researching this mystery of the animal

kingdom: the animal is a whale, it is a single whale, it

is a male, and he sings at a frequency unique to any

other known whale on earth. The whale was dubbed

“52 Hertz” due to the extremely short and high fre-

quency range of its whale song. The average frequency

of most whales is between 15-25 hertz. Scientists also

noted that this mystery whale bachelor must migrate

solo due to the fact that 52 hertz does not follow any

known migratory route patterns of whales. It seems this

mystery whale’s love song is destined to go unan-

swered; no mate in the sea can hear him.

Researchers have proposed a few solid hypothe-

ses to explain this phenomenon. Could this whale bach-

elor be a blue, fin, or baleen whale? Some believe he

could be the last living Baleen whale species that was

unknown to the scientific community in the past. Oth-

ers believe he could be a result of hybridization; a rare

hybrid of two different whale species or malformed

such as a Blue and Fin whale cross. Though his age re-

mains unknown, he has lived through 20yrs of research

on him. His migratory route pattern is a zigzag, but he

was last recorded near the Aleutian and Kodiak islands

in Alaska. The idea of a single whale doomed to swim

the seven seas forever alone, endlessly calling for a

lover to no avail wandering in the darkest depths is

heart wrenching. But there is always a bright side! 52

Hertz is an unprecedented whale song frequency. The

fact that this whale has continued to survive this long

despite his anomaly tells researchers that he is ex-

tremely resilient and healthy, which may deem him to

have the advantage of Darwinian fitness compared to

other whale species.

Page 3 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Check out this lonely whale bachelor’s love song

at 52 hertz and his song: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/

acoustics/whales/sounds/whalewav/ak52_10x.wav

compared to the song of other known whales here:

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/acoustics/

specs_whales.html. Next fall, researchers will be

making a documentary in search of the bachelor in

the North Pacific Ocean. The documentary is sure to

air on channels like Nat Geo Wild, Animal Plant, and

Discovery Channel so stay tuned!

Bibliography: http://blogs.discovery.com/animal_news/2012/05/52-hertz-the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world.html

http://earthsky.org/earth/52-hertz-song-of-worlds-loneliest-whale

http://news.discovery.com/animals/whales-dolphins/loneliest-whale-in-the-world-130715.htm

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/worlds-loneliest-whale-sings-at-the-wrong-frequency.html

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/viewnews.php?id=251357

Page 4 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

The Pacific Ocean is the planet’s largest body of

water, that makes it one of the most diverse considering

all of the coasts included in the ocean’s borders. The

sheer size creates an intricate ecosystem that includes a

number of life forms which depend on the existence of

one another to maintain a stable equilibrium. It would

seem, however, that humans have been working to

punctuate this equilibrium since the industrial revolu-

tion and the subsequent explosion of our population.

Literal tons of plastic have accumulated in the water,

along with an abundance of co2 gas that will lead to

ocean acidification. Our latest blow has come in the

form of a radioactive waste spill that continues to leak

radioactive isotopes into the Pacific.

In March of 2011, a large earthquake rattled

Japan and triggered a massive tsunami that would crash

into the coast and compromise

the cooling systems at their Fu-

kushima Daiichi nuclear power

plant. The loss of coolant

would lead to radioactive melt-

downs and the discharge of ra-

dioactive waste. The thought of

the initial damage was very

troubling, imagining that the

sea and all surrounding crea-

tures would have to live with

the toxic environment we had

just created. It is even more

haunting though to know that

the waste is still leaking. It has recently been released

by TEPCO, the energy company responsible for Fuku-

shima, that the containment systems are still compro-

mised and are leaking radioactive water into the Pacific

daily.

That means we are adding another extremely

dangerous ingredient to the list of pollutants regularly

served up to the environment, one that could literally

kill the ocean when compounded with a number of other

factors. Australian sailor Ivan MacFadyen had recently

taken a trip to Osaka and was appalled by the state of

the sea. He said that only 10 years prior there were an

abundance of fish and the water was rather clean. How-

ever, this year fishing was worthless and certain sec-

tions of open ocean became an obstacle course due to

debris. He is an eye witness to the decay of a giant, one

that is being choked out because of us, and there is no

doubt about that.

Now, because we have aided in the acidification

of our oceans and constantly litter them with trash, nu-

clear waste is pushing a problem that is in dire need of

attention, beyond help. Acidification makes it very hard

for small, essential organisms to thrive, causing coral

reefs to die. Humans have overfished many areas, and

have made it tough for certain mammal populations to

live comfortably in the ocean. Life is dying from the

smallest to the largest, it is only a matter of time before

death finds everything in between.

With the accumulation of waste from many

sources, we are able to poison the blood of the planet.

Animals are feeding on our garbage and are forced to

swim through radioactive wa-

ters. This is not the environ-

ment they evolved in, or one

that is even inhabitable. The

effects are already apparent

on a small scale, but I fear it’s

only a matter of time before

they become something much

larger, and we find it impossi-

ble to manage the disaster we

brought upon ourselves. I

think we know that the hu-

man race has battle for life

ahead of itself, but I wonder

when we are going to stop disadvantaging ourselves for

the sake of short term benefit and make the tough choic-

es that we are obviously going to have to make to im-

prove this dilemma.

Sources: http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1848433/the-ocean-

is-broken/?cs=12

http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-japan-nuclear-

20131020,0,1961323.story?page=2

http://rt.com/news/fukushima-typhoon-radioactive-

water-310/

http://apps.seattletimes.com/reports/sea-change/2013/

sep/11/pacific-ocean-perilous-turn-overview/

By Will Shinn

Page 5 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Colony Collapse Disorder: A Romantic Tragedy

Bees are everywhere. When you think about it, when haven’t you seen a bee on a flower? That’s because

they are a crucial part of the pollination process – the transferring of male parts of a flower to the female parts, thus

fertilizing it and producing seeds. Not all plants become fertilized when the wind blows pollen around, so they rely on

bees to do it. When a bee flies to a flower, it typically does two things: the hairs on its body electrostatically attract

pollen grains from the flower and the bee collects nectar from the flower. If the pollen rubs off on other flowers of

the same species when the bee lands on them, cross-fertilization occurs and the plant can produce viable seeds.

Honey bees are important pollinators in the ecosystem. Not only do they produce honey for us but they pollinate a

huge portion of crops including the following:

Almonds

Apples

Apricots

Avocadoes

Blueberries

Boysenberries

Cherries

Citrus

Cranberries

Grapes

Kiwifruit

Loganberries

Macadamia nuts

Nectarines

Olives

Peaches

Pears

Plums/Prunes

Raspberries

Strawberries

Alfalfa Hay

Alfalfa Seed

Cotton Lint

Cotton Seed

Legume Seed

Peanuts

Rapeseed

Soybeans

Sugar Beets

Sunflowers

Asparagus

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumbers

Cantaloupe

Honeydew

Onions

Pumpkins

Squash

Watermelons

Fruits and Nuts Field Crops Vegetables

By Ryan Koch

Recently, however, honey bees have been disappearing. Scientists are not completely sure as to why this is occurring, but they believe it could be a combination of several things including exposure to pesticides, invasive para-sitic mites, an inadequate food supply, and a virus that targets bees’ immune systems. This phenomenon is called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and is estimated that nearly one-third of the honey bees have vanished. You can im-agine how farmers might react to this. Bees pollinate $15 billion worth of crops each year, so they are much appreci-ated by farmers. If this bee collapse continues, it could severely decrease the amount of crops produced and increase unemployment. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is current-ly researching solutions to this problem.

Hive, the Apiculture Society at Rutgers, is also aware of this issue. The group is Rut-gers’ first and only beekeeping club and is concerned about the importance of honey bees. To promote awareness, they harvest their own honey from their hive and ex-tract it to sell to the public. Their first extraction of the year happened on October 7th. It was already sold outside of the Student Center on October 28th, but be sure to keep your eyes open for Hive in the future!

http://nativeplants.msu.edu/about/pollination

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/ahb/inf1.html http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/bees.asp

Page 6 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

After extensive research, Fish Biologist Donald

Stewart has successfully classified the first new species of

arapaima since 1877. Stewart works at the SUNY Col-

lege of Environmental

Science and Forestry

and has proved that

contrary to the belief

that there is only one

species of arapaima;

there are at least five.

Stewart explained that

the importance of his

findings lies in improv-

ing conservation ef-

forts. He stated, “We know now there are various spe-

cies, including some not previously recognized. Each of

these unstudied giant fishes needs conservation assess-

ment”.

Arapaimas are unique because not only are they

among the world’s largest freshwater fish, but they also

breathe air through a primitive lung. Their gills can satis-

fy about twenty percent of their oxygen needs, but they

must come to the surface about every fifteen minutes for

air. They are often found in the

freshwaters of the Amazon, espe-

cially in Brazil and Guyana. Their

lung allows them to dwell in oxy-

gen-poor waters. These fish are

massive, growing up to ten feet

long and weighing up to 400

pounds. The newest species, dis-

covered by Stewart, is classified as

Arapaima leptosoma. This arapaima

is thinner than some of the other

species, and contains a unique se-

ries of sensory organs within a hor-

izontal black bar on the side of its head.

This discovery is important because it has re-

newed the drive to improve conservation efforts in the

area. The regulations in some South American countries

are lenient, allowing the movement of freshwater fish to

different bodies of water for stocking purposes. If uni-

dentified species are moved, this could result in ecosys-

tem disturbances. Stewart discusses this in more detail,

explaining, "Failure to recognize that there are multiple

species has consequences that are far reaching. For ex-

ample, there is a growing aquaculture industry for ara-

paima, so

they are being

moved about

and stocked

in ponds for

rearing. Even-

tually pond-

reared fishes

escape and,

once freed,

the ecological

effects are irreversible. A species that is endangered in its

native habitat may become an invasive species in anoth-

er habitat. The bottom line is that we shouldn't be mov-

ing these large, predatory fishes around until the species

and their natural distributions are bet-

ter known. Given the uncertainties,

precaution is needed."

The arapaima has historically

been a food staple in tropical South

America, and has been overfished for

decades. Arapaimas are extensively

commercially fished in the Amazonian

region, selling for around $150 per fish.

Putting this much pressure on the ara-

paima population has taken its toll on

species diversity, and there is hope that

new discoveries will aid specific con-

servation efforts. Stewart assured that he is planning

more fieldwork in the Brazilian Amazon to continue to

study the newly named, and extremely unique, species.

Arapaima: The Giant, Air-Breathing Fish By: Holly Berman

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/20/newly-re-described-arapaima-freshwater-species-of-the-week/

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/13/new-species-of-giant-air-breathing-fish-freshwater-species-of-the-week/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131014102323.htm

http://www.webpronews.com/giant-arapaima-fish-discovered-in-brazil-2013-10

Page 7 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Currently in London, there are eight Royal

Parks are that well conserved and maintained in order

for the public to enjoy their leisure activities. Royal

Parks were once spaces owned by the United King-

dom’s monarchy as leisure places for the royal family.

The seven parks are: Bushy Park, Green Park, Green-

wich Park, Hyde Park, The Regent’s Park, Richmond

Park, Kensington Garden and St. James’s Park. Since I

am currently studying abroad in London, I had the

chance to visit a few of the parks. During my visits, I

noticed that the parks all shared an important quality –

the biodiversity. I noticed it particularly for St. James’s

Park, which is adjacent to the Buckingham Palace. Of

what I observed, there appeared to be numerous spe-

cies of birds and ducks such as seagulls, swans, pi-

geons and geese.

In 2005, there were 118 species of birds, 564

species of butterfly and moths, and a total of 200 inver-

tebrates in Regent’s Park. In some of the parks, the

grasses are cut specifically for the deer to graze upon.

The parks have an estimated of 150,000- 170,000 types

of trees and recently grasslands were created in Re-

gent’s Park to enhance the ecology. According to the

Royal Parks’ Sustainable Development Action Plan,

“The Royal Parks, often described as the ‘Green Lungs

of London’, are a unique national resource, and our

role is to protect, conserve and enhance them whilst

encouraging wider access and increasing opportunities

for recreation and enjoyment, both now and in the fu-

ture”. I agree that the parks represent the green lungs

of London because the overall greenness of the parks is

phenomenal and it is mainly due to the well maintained

grasses, trees and lakes.

Each park has teams that work together in order

to achieve sustainability and effective waste manage-

ment strategies. There is much effort to reduce the

waste generated on the parks’ premises and to promote

recycling in the community. The committees are also

aware of how climate change will affect the biodiversi-

ty within these parks, thus there are new projects un-

dertaken such as minimizing energy consumption. For

instance, St. James’s Park has very minimal lighting at

night, which makes the park quite unfriendly; however,

the leisure hours are designated for day time use.

According to the sustainable action plan, all

the parks are designated as Sites of Importance for Na-

ture Conservation (SINCS). The Royal Parks’ Ecologi-

cal Impact Assessment stated that all the wild birds

nesting in the parks are protected under the Wildlife

and Countryside Act. These statistics are the least bit

surprising because these parks truly succeed in creating

a diverse ecology for visitors to experience. On a daily

basis, the parks are very clean and well maintained and

are also well shared spaces between people and the

other hundreds of species that inhabit these areas. The

visitors develop an appreciation for the beauty that em-

anates from these parks, and there is a sense of amaze-

ment that people have towards the other animals. I

would highly recommend these parks to anyone who

has not seen them. The greenness and the biodiversity

within these areas are truly breath-taking.

Citations

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/about-us/management-and-governancehttp://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/londons-ecology-managing-for-biodiversity-in-londons-royal-parks http://www.royalparks.org.uk/__documents/the-royal-parks/publications/environmental-and-sustainability-studies-and-reports/holford_house_environmental_impact_assessment.pdf http://www.royalparks.org.uk/__documents/the-royal-parks/publications/environmental-and-sustainability-studies-and-reports/sustainability_report_2006.pdf

By Selen Altiok

Page 8 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

In a world where the global population is over 7

Billion and rising, waste, reduction is a taxing problem.

The United States alone produces 250 million tons of

waste per year and, of it, 35% is recycled. A significant

amount of waste produced is capable of being recycled,

but is not. Why?

A new study published in the Journal of Con-

sumer Research may have one answer and it suggests

that our subconscious biases may be partially to blame.

Boston University researchers and professors, Rudi

Trudal and Jen-

nifer Argo, con-

ducted experi-

ments in office

settings to deter-

mine if the size

and form of a

product had any

effect on the

person’s deci-

sion to recycle.

What they

found was that

people were less likely to recycle items when the form

and size had been distorted. For example, a perfectly

flat, white piece of printer paper was more likely to be

recycled than the same piece of paper that has been

crumpled up or cut into little pieces. Likewise, dented

soda cans and water bottles were more likely to end up

in the trash bin than in the recycling. The question is

why. Why would a can with a dent be thrown away and

the same undented can be recycled?

Trudal and Argo speculate that consumers are

more likely to recycle if the object is perceived as useful.

The definition of garbage in the Merriam-Webster dic-

tionary is something that is useless, no longer wanted -

worthless. The word recycle is defined as making some-

thing new and to use again. According to their theory,

those two definitions are exactly how our subconscious

decides whether something is trash or recyclable. Our

decisions are based on our perception of an object’s fu-

ture utility. For example, a half eaten pizza from two

days ago is useless and no longer wanted and is there-

fore trash. Whereas, an empty wa-

ter bottle from the same two days

ago still has utility, it can be recy-

cled or refilled and used again. Es-

sentially, there is a subconscious

rule of thumb that categorizes

things that appear useful as recycla-

ble and things that appear useless as trash.

This study is the first step in understanding how

consumers think about recycling. Developing a better

understanding of consumers’ recycling behaviors is a

critical component to reducing the amount of waste gen-

erated annually. If we can understand why people

choose to recycle or not, we can begin to change our be-

havior. It is possible that simple awareness of recycling

bias can help reduce it.

The EPA has this cool infographic (its kind of big, but informa-tive):

http://epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/infographic/index.htm

References:

http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/styles/large/public/2011_pie_chart.jpg?itok=juxu46L_

"How Recycling Bias Affects What You Toss Where." NPR.

NPR, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Norris, Anna. "Are You Guilty of Recycling Bias?" MNN. MNN

Holdings LLC, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013

"Municipal Solid Waste." EPA. Environmental Protection Agen-

cy, June 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.

Trudal, Remi, and Jennifor Argo. "The Effect of Product Size and

Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior." Journal of

Consumer Research (2013): n. pag. Web. <http://www.jcr-

admin.org/files/pressPDFs/071213005631_Trudel_Article.pdf>.

By Rebecca Noah

Page 9 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Effects of GMO-Labeling

Of the food consumed in the United States today, 70 percent contains some genetically modified ingredients. A stroll through the local supermarket will find labels proudly touting their organic and non-GMO (genetically modified or-ganism) credentials. Labels publicizing GMO ingredients can-not be found - at least, not yet.

In the Northeastern U.S., two states have passed laws requiring labeling of GMOs: Maine and Connecticut. Their respective laws have two major caveats before the laws come into effect. First, at least four other states, including one border state, must pass similar legislation. Secondly, a combi-nation of Northeastern states, with a total governed population of 20 million, must equivalent legislation.

On the West Coast, Wash-ington is in the midst of a fight over ballot initiative I-522. The measure (I-522) will require the labeling of food with GMO ingredients and GMO seed and seed products. Pro-ponents of I-522 have raised $5.5 million in support of the measure, while opponents have raised $17 million. Total campaign spending for and against I-522 is over half that of Washington’s 2012 gubernatorial race. Why all the commo-tion?

Food writer Michael Pollan thinks it’s about transpar-ency. “I don’t think this fight is about science…people want to know where their food comes from…” said Pollan in an inter-view with NPR. Scientific American agrees with him.

A recent editorial in Scientific American decries the narrative around GMO products, stating that the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the World Health Organization, and the European Union agree that GMOs are safe. Full disclosure: the Scientific American editorial comes out against GMO-labeling initiatives in their headline, “Labels for GMO Foods Are a Bad Idea”.

Whether the science is convincing or not, the effects of GMO-labeling are well documented. Researchers at Wash-

ington State University found that the price consumers were willing to pay for food with a GMO-label dropped 60% in Ja-pan. The researchers cautioned the impact would not be as dramatic as in Japan though would be felt by GMO-farmers like Dan Newhouse.

Newhouse grows both GMO and non-GMO food but can envision the difficulty of moving a harvester from a GMO field to a non-GMO field. “I’d have to be able to clean that harvester so well, that there’s not one kernel of [GMO] corn on that machine. So I would not be able to guarantee that there’s no commingling,” Newhouse told NPR.

It’s also worth noting that GMOs are not all the same, accord-ing to NPR reporter Martin Kaste. “Corn modified to resist a certain weed killer is not the same as rice reprogrammed to contain more vitamin A. They’re beneficial – or risky – in completely different ways.”

Polls show that those voting “yes” on I-522 will outnum-ber opponents 2-to-1.

Sources:

http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/record-spending-in-this-years-election-157-million-so-far-and-only-a-quarter-for-the-governor/ http://rt.com/usa/washington-lawsuit-gmo-label-288/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=labels-for-gmo-foods-are-a-bad-idea http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/09/10/poll-big-lead-for-food-labeling-initiative/

By Simon Galperin

Page 10 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 1

By Katie Fudacz

Farmers Against Hunger

When you grocery shop, do you notice how fruits and vegetables are very uniform in size, shape, color, density and texture? Commercial produce markets have trained consumers to associate uniformity with quality and safety. Rarely will one find “ugly” fruits and vegetables still covered in soil being sold at a wholesale grocer. Due to such market constructs, it is unviable for farmers to expend their time and labor picking crops that do not meet commercial standards. Therefore, vast quantities of nutrient dense crops go unpicked every year, rot in the field and are plowed back into the soil. According to the Natural Resource Defense Council report “Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill”, six billion pounds of fresh produce goes unharvested or unsold every year in the United States.

Reducing food losses by just 15% could feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Ameri-cans lack a secure supply of food (Gunders, 2012). In 1996, the New Jersey Agricultural Society founded Farmers Against Hunger (FAH) to address dual problems of farmers’ overabundance and food insecurity through gleaning. Gleaning is the practice of gathering farmers’ unmarketable, surplus crops. FAH organizes volunteer gleanings and then distributes the surplus crops to various food banks and civic organizations.

On average, FAH collects 1.2 million pounds of fresh produce annually and distributes to over 70 community organi-zations serving those in need. New Brunswick’s Elijah’s Promise (EP) is a FAH recipient. To respond to large influxes of gleaned produce, for example, receiving 300 pounds of tomatoes on any given day, EP coordinates volunteers help to process (peel, core, cut and dice) and preserve (blanch, shock & freeze). As an EP volunteer, I’ve learned how to process and preserve tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, squash and red peppers.

Preserving gleaned produce through freezing enables EP to incorporate local, fresh produce into their meals year round. Freezing gleaned produce also preserves seasonality of food, for example, utilizing frozen NJ blueberries to make pie in the winter time. EP incorporates gleaned produced into the meals they provide for their soup kitchen, A Better World Café, Meals on Wheels, Bates House and Tiny Tots, serving people across all socio economic classes. With the help of FAH, EP (and many other FAH recipients) is able to enhance community food security and livelihoods. To get involved in FAH gleaning, contact Executive Director Kristina Guttadora: farmersagainsthun-ger@gmail.com (609) 462-9691.

Sources: http://www.njagsociety.org/farmers-against-hunger.html http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp

Food that is never harvested: Weather/disease. Natural phenomena harm crops and lead to excess planting to hedge against this risk. Market conditions. A crop’s price at time of harvest may not warrant the labor and transport costs required to bring the product to market. Buyer quality standards. Selective harvest for mini-mum quality standards and shelf life leads to crops’ being left in the field. Labor shortages. Where harvest timing is critical, a la-bor shortage leads to lower harvest rate. Food safety scares. Public fear related to food safety for specific products can lead to huge losses.

Food lost between harvest and sale: Improper handling. Various kinds of mishandling, such as deliveries needing refrigeration that sit too long on the loading dock, can damage products. Inconsistent refrigeration. Truck breakdowns and oth-er mishaps can lead to spoilage due to lack of refrigera-tion. Rejected shipments. By the time a shipment is rejected, its contents have a shorter shelf life and may be difficult to sell before spoiling.

Page 11 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

By Renee Leventon

During Wor ld War Two the

government ca l led for a l l Amer i -

cans to make sacr i f ices such as

conserving on gas , food, and clo th-

ing. The many di fficul t ies con-

fronting the Uni ted States affected

everyone fro m the r ich to the poor.

The Food Rat ioning Pro-

gram began in the spr ing of 1942 .

This program was crea ted in a t -

tempt to avoid public r iots, and a l -

lowed the federal government to

control the supply and demand. Al-

so, the program was set in to p lace

in order to make sure the weal thy

did not purchase al l o f the goods

f irs t .

Many industr ies and busi -

nesses were affec ted, but i t was the

Amer ican people that st ruggled the

most . Many mater ial goods had to

be given up on a dai ly bas is , and

people’s day - to -day l ives quickly

changed. In order to have enough

supply levels for our so ldiers the

government depended on people to

take on fac tory jobs, make dona-

t ions, and form projec ts to help our

troops .

The media played a huge

role in ge tt ing Amer ican ci t izens to

l i sten. Adver t i sements, radio sta -

t ions, and posters were ways that

the government reached out to the

country. The propaganda reached

mi l l ions o f Americans and was ex-

tremely effect ive.

Some ways that the govern-

ment rat ioned food was by handing

out ra t ion cards. For example, in

May 1943 sugar was being rat ioned

so “Sugar Rat ion Cards” were giv-

en out . One member from every

fami ly s igned up to rece ive a card.

The amount o f sugar on each card

was based on fami ly s ize. Cards

such as the “Red Stamp” meant tha t

i t covered al l meats, but ter, and

oil s . A “Blue Stamp” covered juic -

es, beans, frui t s , vegetables, soup,

ke tchup, and baby foods . Rat ion

cards and stamps became a type of

payment and guaranteed a fa ir

share o f scarce goods fo r each fam-

ily.

The de lic ious oa tmeal cookie reci -

pe belo w came fro m the 1940’s

when bro wn sugar was scarce and

rat ioned during the war. In p lace of

brown sugar mother ’s and grand-

mother ’s al ike replaced the sugar

wi th molasses. Enjoy!

Page 12 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

I have a challenge for you: look around you

for a food or beverage product. It could be anything

from a soda to a stick of gum, a granola bar to a box

of hamburger helper, your favorite juice to your fa-

vorite fall pumpkin beer. Now, take a peek at the

ingredients list. Somewhere, most likely near the

bottom, it will most likely list “Natural Flavors” or

“Artificial Flavors.” While some of the longer or

more bizarre sounding ingredients may tend to catch

your eye more, it often seems that the added flavor

component goes unnoticed. After completing an in-

credible internship at International Flavors and Fra-

grances’ Flavor Creative Center in South Bruns-

wick, NJ this summer, my eyes were opened to the

fascinating world of what is possible with added

flavors, and how prevalent they are in the foods we

eat, including many chain restaurants and consumer

products.

At my time at IFF, I had the opportunity to

work in a Confectionery Applications lab – apply-

ing flavors the flavorists created to different prod-

ucts for different customers. The flavors could be

liquid or spray dried, and the possibility of what fla-

vors were in existence was seemingly endless.

When it comes to products such as candy, most peo-

ple expect the flavor component – a piece of

gum is not going to have oranges in it because

it’s orange flavored. In this respect, creativity is

high and can be seen through many of the fanta-

sy flavors that have become staples. Flavors like

Blue Raspberry, Bubblegum, Dragonberry and

many others are common and known, and at the

same time flavors such as grape and watermelon

have somehow taken on their own definition,

which may lie very far from the taste of the actu-

al fruit.

One subject on which many may be unclear

is the actual difference between natural and artificial

flavors. Based off of these labels, many may be

drawn towards natural flavorings, because natural is

always better, right?

While in many cases this may be true, when

it comes to the flavors in your food it is not always

the case. Gary Reineccius, a professor of food sci-

ence and nutrition at the University of Minnesota

gives a great example of this by explaining the pro-

cesses necessary to create a natural coconut flavor.

To extract the lactone needed, it must be extracted

from the bark of the Massoya tree from Malaysia.

This, in turn, kills the tree and is very expensive to

do. This same identical chemical can be synthesized

artificially for much less money and without killing

a single tree, but is not labeled as natural. The main

basis for the difference between natural and artifi-

cial is just the source of the chemicals used to create

the flavor. If they come from natural sources, it’s

natural. If it is made synthetically, even though it is

the same chemical, it is artificial. So the next time

you pick up a food or beverage product, take a peek

at the label – you may be surprised at what you’ll

find.

By Daniel Pelligra

Sources: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-difference-be-2002-07-29

Page 13 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

here is a certain allure that comes with reading science fiction. The technology, the society, and the

way each book presents a far off future. Professor Peter A. Rona reminisces, “I used to love to read science fiction books as a kid. But you guys don’t really need to read it, you’re living it.” And he is right; the future has come considerably closer now.

In Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World, entire populations are developed in test tubes, some-thing that was thought of as inconceivable back in 1932, when the book was originally published. Fast for-ward forty-six years and it is 1978, and Louise Joy Brown has just been named the first successful test-tube baby. Science fiction often works that way, initiating a fantastical idea that sets into motion groundbreaking inventions and discoveries in science and in medicine. However, there has been a recent shift in the science fiction genre; a sub-genre that does not look forward into the future, but takes a closer look at the present. Cli-Fi, or climate fiction, is not a new sub-genre. It has been around since J. G. Ballard’s 1962 novel Drowned World. A book about the 21st century with sun radiation fluctuations and rising sea levels, forcing society to relocate on the Arctic and Antarctic circles. Leaving the cities to become swamplands where new flora and fauna thrive propelling the world into the Triassic Age. It is Ballard’s book that is considered to be the first of the climate fiction genre.

But extreme climate has not only grown popular in literature throughout the last fifty years. Holly-wood too has brought about this genre and highly popularized it with Roland Emmerich’s 20004 movie, The Day After Tomorrow. In which civilization is encumbered by some pretty nasty weather. But with books such as Ballard’s and movies such as Emmerich’s in a way prophesize, as Huxley’s predicted artificial insemination, the severe weather with which we have been warned against. And not until last fall’s Hurricane Sandy did we begin to take these warnings seriously. Ironically, during the hurricane a publicist from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG), a publishing company, was working on a book with a cover depicting a very flooded New York City. The book, Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich, again sets the story in a climate changed world. Rich is now one of many authors who con-tinually plots his story not in the dystopian future, but in the dystopian present and there is something to be said about this.

This communication that is occurring whether it is through books or movies is a way in which climate change has been breached. By setting a book or movie and forcing the reader or viewer to inhabit a world in which it is our cities that are flooded and it is our world that is off-kilter makes for the idea of climate change an easier dilemma to behold. We no longer are required to simply imagine from some data found in heavy scientific text. We are simply told to now pick up a book, a fun book at that, or to put in a movie, and we’ll see what’s in store for our not so distant future.

Climate Fiction By Tami Segal

T

Page 14 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Those who are familiar with the horseshoe crab, often shun it due to the creature’s unappealing appear-ance. This marine arthropod is often referred to as a “living fossil,” having survived prehistoric Earth over 200 million years ago. During the early 20

th century they were

captured primarily as bait for fishing and fertilizers for ag-ricultural purposes. In more recent years, scientists have discovered a different kind of use for them – one that has resulted in a significant improvement in medical develop-ment while taking a negative toll on the horseshoe crabs. The blood of these crabs is highly valuable and sought after in the medical industry. In the 1960s, Dr. Frederik Bang studied the animals’ cooper rich blue blood and found that it was very unique to the blood of other animals. Over several millennia of evolution, their blood has developed highly defensive immune mechanisms that allow the spe-cies to fight off ma-rine bacteria and viruses. It contains a clotting agent called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), that stops bleeding and pro-motes wound re-covery. Additional-ly, their blood is especially effective in binding to endo-toxins, which has allowed scientists to test the purity or degree of bacterial contamination in drugs, vaccines, and various other medical devices. Pharmaceutical companies have partnered with commercial fisheries in harvesting horseshoe crabs for biomedical purposes. These animals are removed from their habitat either by hand in shallow waters or by dredg-ing in deep waters. They are transported to a laboratory where they are sanitized, scrubbed clean of barnacles or other debris and then prepped for the procedure. They are positioned and strapped vertically in an angle that speeds up the flow of blood out of their bodies. A needle is then injected into them to drain their blood into a con-tainer. Most lab facilities claim that they only collect a third of the animal’s blood and return the animal back to their habitat the same day; that is if they are still alive.

Just one quart of their blood can be worth over $15,000 dollars. The monetary rewards have led to an increase in unsustainable catch rates of these crabs. Alt-hough they are returned to their habitat after the blood collection, it may take at least a few weeks for the crabs to recover from the blood that was lost. In that time, they may well have been recaptured for more blood removal. There has been no established method to keep record of when crabs were caught and released to ensure that the same crabs are not being harvested repeatedly. Despite follow-ups that conclude mortality rates are low, horse-shoe crab populations have decreased. Management of this species along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. is in place but has been flawed and inconsistent. So far the FDA has approved only a handful of laboratories for the blood collection, however, the number

of facilities is likely to in-crease in the coming years. Concern for the crabs by the public may not be favorable due to their unappealing ap-pearance. Similar to other marine species, threats from climate change, overfishing, and habitat loss are addition-al pressures to them. Consid-ering past trends of human activity, it is very likely that people could and will heavily exhaust this marine organ-

ism. The medical purposes of their blood will likely out-weigh the danger their numbers are put in. For a species that has been around for millions of years and survived the drastic changes on Earth, mankind could potentially be the cause of their disappearance within the time frame of just a few decades.

Sources:

http://nsmn1.uh.edu/dgraur/popbio/horseshoe%20crab,%

20Limulus%20polyphemus%20200%20million%20years%

20of%20existence,%20100%20years%20of%20study.pdf

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/how-

the-life-saving-blue-blood-of-horseshoe-crabs-is-

extracted/241203/

By Wendy Chiapaikeo

Page 15 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Watersheds consist of areas where the water drains off and goes to a common location. Watersheds can consist of

many tributaries from very small streams to rivers, lakes and reservoirs for human use. Streams that are only a foot wide and

a foot deep can seem insignificant but these streams have a very fundamental purpose.

Streams can have relatively small amounts of water at times but when it rains is when they bank full. There are opti-

mal qualities that streams should have around them. One of the most important qualities is to have a vegetation buffer on

both its banks. These buffers allow the vegetation to be able to clean out particular, if not most, pollutants out of the water

before it runs into the stream. Another important quality is to have shaded areas. These areas are fundamental for organisms

that prefer cool waters to be able to thrive in these streams, increasing biodiversity. Since some streams can have relatively

low currents, water that is not too deep can get to undesirable high temperatures. An important factor that plays a role in fish

population and migration is having the right passages when the fish streams pass by developed areas and road crossings.

Certain culverts, especially old culverts, do not let the fish migrate upstream because they are too high and the fish are not

able to jump that high. Having an obstruct pathway does not allow the fish to swim upstream; therefore, impeding return to

original spawning grounds.

As you can see in the picture, many of these streams connect to the Spruce Run Reservoir, which is where from many

of New Jersey Residents receive their potable water. If there are pollutants in the streams, the water carries those and, if they

are not filtered out due to the lack of vegetation, they will also end up at the reservoir and in our tap.

Land use change is a factor that is severely affecting the streams throughout the state. Many farms have their live-

stock drinking water from the stream and also depositing fecal matter into the stream. Previously, farmers were not aware of

how they could negatively affect the water supply. Now there is an increasingly amount of farms becoming aware and prohib-

iting livestock to be in the stream. Another factor that affects the water quality of the stream negatively through land use

change is that residential and commercial properties remove the natural vegetation buffer by mowing the grass right up to

the stream. Like previously mentioned, this does not allow for a natural filtration system to take place.

New Jersey Water Supply Authority has an initiative project that

consists of performing proactive approaches towards keeping the best

water quality that drains into and out of the Spruce Run reservoir. They

are taking this approach by managing the impacts of new land use by the

acquisition of critical lands in the reservoir watersheds and many other

different approaches. I am currently partaking in an internship program

with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. We are actively assessing

streams to see their current state of land use and their overall health.

The public does not realize how the actions that are executed in private

and commercial property can affect the water of their watershed and

eventually lead to affecting their tap.

Works Cited

http://chamisa.freeshell.org/pollution.htm

http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/whatis.cfm

http://www.raritanbasin.org/Projects/Sprucerun/maps/riparian.jpg

http://www.raritanbasin.org/Sprucerun.html

By Evangelina Pena

Page 16 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Earthships: Blast off into the Future of “Green” Living

One does not need to search long to find evidence of

the suffering of our planet. By now, nearly everyone has seen

the pictures of polar bears stranded on shrinking patches of

ice, of ducklings smothered in black oil, and of patches of

floating garbage the size of Texas in the oceans. And yet, the

average person either chooses to continue living in blissful

ignorance of the impending danger, or wants to join in the

global movement towards sustainability, but is unaware of

what options are available to them. Many fear that living

“green” is synonymous with living backwards. Fortunately,

this is not the case: as demonstrated by the technology of

Earthships.

Earthships are passive solar houses constructed al-

most entirely of natural and recycled material. What’s more,

these houses are completely off-the-grid and self-sufficient

so that any reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels is min-

imized. Earthships had their humble beginnings as a mere

twinkle of a dream in the mind of American architect, Mi-

chael Reynolds. Very soon after graduating from the Univer-

sity of Cincinnati, his dream was realized through the found-

ing of his company, Earthship Biotecture, and the construc-

tion of the very first Earthship, called Thumb House, in 1972

out of beer cans. There are three main things that make an

Earthship an Earthship. First, it must be constructed entirely

from both natural and recycled materials. Second, it must be

“off-the-gird”, that is, it must rely on natural energy sources

and be independent from the electrical and water lines that

Reynolds considered “wasteful”. Finally, it has to be afforda-

ble for the average person and not require any special con-

struction skills for their creation.

Typically, individual Earthship rooms take the form

of a U or a horseshoe, and their thick walls are made of Earth

-rammed tires. The walls are then covered with adobe, stone,

or concrete for aesthetics. Earth-rammed tires provide the

benefits of being abundant in supply, exceedingly sturdy, and

fire resistant. In order to achieve complete autonomy, Earth-

ships have to successfully modulate three systems: water,

electricity, and climate.

The water used in Biotecture houses is collected di-

rectly from the environment from rain, snow, and condensa-

tion. Water from the roof is channeled into a cistern lying

underground beside the house. It is filtered for bacteria and

other contaminants and then pushed into a conventional pres-

sure tank. This harvested water is suitable for drinking and is

used for showering and sinks throughout the household. The

soapy waste-water created by the sinks, dishwashers, wash-

ing machines, and showers is recycled within the house. First

it goes through a particle and grease filter, and then it is fil-

tered again by a botanical cell or “living machine”, i.e., a

machine that mimics the filtering capacities of wetlands.

Within the botanical cell, plants oxygenate the water and

remove nitrogen and phosphate as it filters through gravel. In

addition, bacteria that naturally grow inside the cell help to

further cleanse the water. During the last step of filtration

and on its way out from the cell, the water passes through

peat moss and then is collected in a reservoir. The

final product is not used again for drinking or washing, but

rather for flushing toilets.

After being used for the toilet, water is sent to a solar

-enhanced concrete septic tank which relies on heat from the

sun to aid in anaerobic decomposition. The liquid from the

septic tank is released into what is known as a leach field

exterior to the house, which functions very similarly to the

botanical cell described earlier: plots of land surrounded by

concrete and furnished with plants filter the waste material.

After being used for the toilet, water is sent to a solar

-enhanced concrete septic tank which relies on heat from the

sun to aid in anaerobic decomposition. The liquid from the

septic tank is released into what is known as a leach field

exterior to the house, which functions very similarly to the

botanical cell described earlier: plots of land surrounded by

concrete and furnished with plants filter the waste material.

Water is not the only utility that is naturally harvest-

ed from the environment as far as Earthships are concerned.

Electricity is generated from solar panels or wind turbines on

or near the Earthship itself, and then it is stored in batteries

located in a designated room usually placed on the roof.

Plants in an Earthship aid in the filtration of water and

the production of food, and are also decorations.

By Francesca Battaglia

Works Cited:

http://earthship.com

http://magazine.cu.edu/issues/0509/architect.html

Page 17 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Ideally, none of the electrical energy is used for

heating and cooling the interior of the house, only to run

appliances. The air inside the Earthship is kept a comforta-

ble temperature by relying on the processes of passive solar

heating/cooling and thermal mass. Buildings can acquire

thermal mass by having thick walls made of insulating ma-

terials so that temperature changes outside do not greatly

influence the temperature inside. Earthships accomplish this

through the use of earth-rammed tires, and depending out

the climate in which the Earthship is built, extra earth may

be surround the exterior of the Earthship, giving it a half-

subterranean appearance. Furthermore, when you enter the

Earthship, there are two doors: one followed by a small lob-

by and then the second door, because there is an airlock to

further aid in regulation of temperature inside. The sun is

responsible for providing the Earthship with heating and

lighting. The principal wall of the house is composed of

large glass windows that face towards the equator to opti-

mize solar exposure. Behind these windows is often a green-

house or garden area where most residents grow their food.

In addition, this principal wall made of glass is angled so

that it is perpendicular to the sun’s rays during the winter.

This is important to yield maximum exposure in the winter

when more heat is necessary, and decrease the exposure in

the summer. There are many vents in the house that allow

airflow through the airship to allow further control of tem-

perature.

I believe many people are discouraged by the idea

of adopting a “green” lifestyle because they believe they

will have to sacrifice modern-day conveniences such as

TVs, flushing toilets, and air conditioning. We tend to hear

“sustainable” and think “primitive”. However, the ingenuity

with which Reynolds has designed his Earthships allows

their owners to live with all the wonderful amenities we

have grown to love while still being environmentally friend-

ly. Earthships are livable, functional, sustainable, and beau-

tiful. They are also economical, with the prices, on average,

ranging anywhere from $15,000 for the most simple houses,

to $400,000. Earthships had their beginnings in Taos, New

Mexico, but now exist in nearly every state, as well as Can-

ada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Haiti, and

Guatemala. Earthship Biotecture is a company that is not

only environmentally conscious, but also has humanitarian

objectives around the globe. Currently, there are six global

relief projects in progress in Sierra Leone and Malawi (in

Africa), Australia, New Zealand, India, Jamaica, and Guate-

mala, and Haiti. Many of these locations are Third World

countries that suffer from poverty, are relatively behind in

industrialization, and must deal with natural disasters,

drought, and flooding. Earthships built by volunteers pro-

vide the perfect solution, offering permanent and sustainable

housing with electricity, clean water, sanitary sewage treat-

ment, and means to grow their own food. In no way would

the people of these countries become dependent on Earth-

ship Biotecture.

As they emphasize on their website, “We want peo-

ple to be empowered by the ability to create sustenance for

themselves, and in doing so, create employment, jobs, and a

mini-economy. An entire method that is independent of cor-

porations, largely independent of oil, and independent of

politics.” Earthships provide an environmentally-friendly,

affordable, and durable solution for many of the problems

that underdeveloped countries face today.

The Golderich Waldorf School is an Earthship

constructed in Sierra Leone, Africa by volunteers

and interns.

An Earthship Kitchen

An Earthship Living room

Page 18 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

What the Fox Can Teach Us About Domestication

By Rachel Alm

Everyone knows that wolves are the ancestors of dogs—their wild but genetic equivalents—but their history is something that remains of interest to geneticists around the world. DNA coding has proved that years of domestica-tion have rendered the modern dog dependent on human interaction. This was something given in historical ac-counts of nomadic tribes finding wolf cubs and raising them to help with the hunt in exchange for food and care. The only dog breed that seems similarly inclined to inde-pendence like their lupus ancestors are the basenji. Their inception came about as villages from the African Congo required assistance in hunting but needed dogs that could independently survive.

But there is a curious study happening—that has been happening for 40 years—involving domestication and its repercussions on the animal’s behavior and physical form. A Russian geneticist by the name of Dmitry K. Belyaev worked to study these changes in the species vul-pus vulpus; or the red fox. Over 40 years of experimenta-tion later, and the emergence of the domesticated silver fox, lead scientists to believe that tameness is all in the genes.

Belyaev began by using foxes that were already fairly aware of human contact. He selected the ones that were most receptive, bred them, and then exposed the offspring to human contact at an early age. The domestic animal has a “window” of bonding or tama-bility. This window is much smaller in regular farmed foxes than in dogs, but the tamer foxes’ window is roughly the same as domestic dogs (around 8-10 weeks). After this win-dow closes, it is very hard for the animals to fully adjust to the human environment. Even today, after more than 40 years of experimentation, the tamest fox is still going to remain wary of human households. They may crave human interaction, but they still have other genetic traits that interfere with their ability to live well with humans.

But the experiment says a lot of the genetic manipulation of animals and how be-havior is linked to coding in the DNA. A tame fox will breed tame foxes. The first few gen-erations were unyielding to human touch. They would hiss, growl and shy away. The next few generations were less defensive and more submissive, shying away but not showing as much aggression. The newest generations are generally far more accepting of the train-ers and even show excitement at their arrival (when feeding or given attention).

A woman with her Basenji.

Photo: Damara Bolte

Page 19 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Aside from the behavioral changes that accompany domestication, Belyaev foxes are experiencing morphological changes as well. Some of the bred foxes were beginning to show a coloration type called “piebald”, in which they lacked pig-ment in specific part of the body. Many do-mesticated dogs and cats already have this type of coloration, and scientists are be-ginning to see that it’s a sign of domestica-tion in these animals. The tamer foxes, over years of breeding, also had determi-nably more “floppy” or “sagging” ears than the untamed, farmed counterparts.

One of the traits that differentiate domestic from wild, untamed animals is also the retention of juvenile traits in adult animals. This is called Pedomorphosis and, although not provable in Belyaev’s experi-mentation, it is visible in other species (such as goats and lambs) that have had many more years of domestication.

If Belyaev’s experiment tells us any-thing, it is that humans have had a definite impact on the genetic development of var-ious species. Not only have the animals ex-perienced behavioral changes, but they have also changed physically. You can actu-ally purchase your own “domesticated fox” for the small fee of around 9,000 dollars (but they also arrive after their window of tamability closes). But there are many more animals we have already had by our side for centuries, and those are the ones waiting in the shelters for homes. Many dog breeds are now adapted to the life-style of living side by side with humans, but Belyaev’s experiment shows that with enough patience and effort, even foxes can join the ranks of human companions.

“Piebald” coloring consists of patches of un-colored fur—this doesn’t occur in the wild.

Belyaev and the foxes

Works Cited

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=different-dog-breeds-same-species

http://www.domesticfox.com/

Trut, N Lyudmila. 1999. March-April. Early Canid Do-mestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf

http://www.basenji.org/african/bolt8809.htm

Page 20 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

If you love the outdoors at nighttime, or just astronomy, then you will love the following up-

dates on our astronomical events. New Jersey does not offer the best locations to star gaze due to city

light obstruction. But, there is HOPE. Visit www.space.com for NASA’s telescope feed from Mar-

shall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. There is nothing more peaceful or relaxing than

staring at the night sky alone or with friends, but if you’re too busy studying or don’t have accessible

transportation to a dark location, then NASA’s website offers the perfect alternative to enjoy our uni-

verse. Please, read on to find out what you can expect to see in our cosmos for November 2013.

New Moon. The Moon will be directly be-

tween the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible

from Earth. This phase occurs at 12:50 UTC, or

Universal Time. UTC can be converted to our lo-

cal EST, or Eastern Standard Time, by subtracting

5 hours, which is 7:50 am. UTC is an effective

means of referring to time by naval units and is

used for global communication on some instances.

If you want more information on Coordinated Uni-

versal Time, please visit http://earthsky.org/

astronomy-essentials/universal-time.

Hybrid Solar Eclipse. A hybrid solar

eclipse is when the Moon is almost too

close to the Earth to completely block the

Sun. This type of eclipse will appear as a

total eclipse to some parts of the world and

will appear as an annular eclipse to others.

The eclipse path will begin in the Atlantic

Ocean off the eastern coast of the United

States and move east across the Atlantic and

across central Africa.

To

tal S

ola

r Eclip

se

An

nu

al S

ola

r Eclip

se

By Arcadia Papalski

Page 21 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Full Moon. The Moon will be directly opposite the

Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from

Earth. This phase occurs at 15:16 UTC, or 10:16 EST.

Known by early Native American tribes as the “Full Beaver

Moon” because this was the time of year to set the beaver

traps before the swamps and rivers froze, it has also been

known as the “Frosty Moon” and the “Hunter's Moon”.

The newly discovered comet, ISON, will make its closest approach to

the Sun on November 28. If the comet survives its encounter with the Sun, it

could be one of the brightest comets in recent memory. Some astronomers esti-

mate that it could even be bright enough to be seen during daylight hours. In

August and September, the comet will begin to be visible in the morning sky in

dark locations with telescopes. In October it will start to be visible to the naked

eye and will continue to get brighter until November 28. Comet ISON is 6

times (2 magnitudes) fainter than fist predicted by astronomers, and if the com-

et survives, it will be visible in the early morning and early evening sky. It

could be nearly as bright as the full Moon. Some astronomers are already call-

ing it the comet of the century, while others suggest it will die out before it

becomes visible.

Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is an average show-

er, producing an average of up to 15 meteors per hour at its peak.

This shower is unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33

years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of

these occurred in 2001. The Leonids is produced by dust grains left

behind by comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865.

Time to look is between 12:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. on November 20.

Unfortunately the glare from the full moon will block many of the

meteors this year, so consider yourself privileged if you catch a few

good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight

or via www.space.com. Meteors will radiate from the constellation

Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

Work Cited:

WWW.EARTHSKY.ORG

WWW.SEASKY.ORG

http://en.es-static.us/upl/2013/01/comet_ISON_4-10-2013_Hubble-e1366746505888.jpg

http://c.tadst.com/gfx/annular-solar-eclipse.jpg

Page 22 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

Dr. Clark's Strange Tales

A 61-year-old Texas man admitted to a hospital

not long ago appearing to be falling-down-

drunk, even though denying having had even a

single drink, was discovered to be unintention-

ally manufacturing beer in his stomach. With

"auto-brewery syndrome," stomach-based

yeast automatically ferments all starches (even

vegetables or grains) passing through, con-

verting them into ethanol. Normally, natural

stomach bacteria control the yeast, but if, for

example, antibiotics had inadvertently eliminat-

ed the bacteria, the yeast would prevail. The

case was reported in a recent International

Journal of Clinical Medicine. [NPR, 9-17- 2013]

While Congress struggled recently to pass a

budget or an increase to the national debt limit,

one program made it through rather easily,

according to a September New York Times re-

port: farm subsidies for inactive "farmers." The

subsidies were renewed, based on a 2008 law,

virtually assuring that more than 18,000 in-

name-only farmers (who received $24 million

last year) will not be cut off. Included, according

to a 2012 Government Accountability Office

report, were recipients at 2,300 "farms" that

had not grown a single crop in five years

(including 622 without a crop in 10 years). [New

York Times, 9-10-2013]

Steven Cohen, eager to make a point that his

country of residence, France, is more oppres-

sive to artists than his native South Africa,

staged a one-man demonstration at the Eiffel

Tower in September. Wearing a bird outfit,

tights and a garter, he had for some reason

tethered a live chicken to his exposed penis

with a long ribbon. After Cohen was arrested

for indecent exposure, his lawyer complained

that her client had been kept in custody too

long for such a minor charge. "France," she ex-

claimed, "is throwing artists in prison." [The

Local (Paris), 9-11-2013]

Questions, comments, concerns or want to be part of the Trail ?

Email us:

EPIBTrail@gmail.com

Check out past trails:

http://humanecology.rutgers.edu/newsletter.asp

"I really thought it was an injustice...

Healthy food is a basic human right," she

said. "I decided to rip up my whole back-

yard and make it all a garden, and it just

kind of snowballed from there." Today,

Emmons has 200 volunteers helping her

tend 9 acres of crops on three sites. Since

2008, she says, her nonprofit, Sow Much Good, has grown more than 26,000 pounds

of fresh produce for underserved communities in Charlotte.

She strives to make her food as affordable as possible. People are also able to use

their food stamps to purchase anything she sells, including seeds and seedlings so

they can grow the food themselves

"We've been really, really thrilled about the response from the community," Em-

mons said. "Even as early as January of this year, they were calling, asking, 'When are

you coming back out?' "

Directly quoted from:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/2013.heroes/robin.emmons.html

Page 23 EPIB Trail Volume 6, Issue 2

http://ccwn.rutgers.edu/ or

http://ghcookcampus.rutgers.edu/calendar/default.asp?d=201310

Trail Mix

According to the magazine Popular Science, foxes make

sounds similar to those of dogs—except much higher pitched. They often yip, howl

(which sounds more like a scream) and give high pitched barks. The sequence of

their barks is through be a form of communication and identity.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-09/what-sound-does-fox

-make